The Summer of Tenaya 7
by Mark35950
Summary: When Tenaya 7 switches bodies with Ranger Series Yellow, it's up to Summer to convince her friends of her true identity in this "bonus episode" of RPM!
1. Chapter 1

_Listen carefully, okay? We don't have a lot of time..._

 _It started three years ago. The World Internet Federation reported the appearance of an aggressive new computer worm: The Venjix Virus. A year later it was estimated that Venjix had already infected thirty-seven percent of the world's computer systems._

 _By then, it was too late._

 _Venjix took control of the world's communication, power and defense systems. It built armies of advanced robotic soldiers that laid waste to everything in their path. There was no stopping them and Venjix declared victory._

 _But it's not over… not yet. There is still one place we can be safe: The domed city of Corinth. And the only hope we have left is: The Power Rangers!_

 **THE SUMMER OF TENAYA 7**

 **A POWER RANGERS: RPM STORY BY MARK R. WHITTEN**

 **Chapter 1 **

As the cue ball _clacked_ against the sixth, sending it rolling home into the corner pocket, Summer sidled closer to Dillon. "What do you mean, you never have?"

He shrugged. "I can't remember ever doing it." He kept his eyes on the pool table, angling for his next shot. He seemed uninterested in her question. "Not even once."

His answer surprised her, but she didn't doubt him. Suffering from amnesia, Dillon didn't even know his real name anymore. Since he found his place amongst the Power Rangers, though, he had gained new memories and she suspected that he remembered something like this. "You mean, in all the time since you arrived in Corinth, you've never even tried it?"

"Nope." Dillon chalked his cue and walked around to the other side of the table. His movements were smooth, confident and as he leaned over the table, lining up his shot, she couldn't help but admire his steady hand. He looked up at her and added. "And don't think you're gonna get me to try it, either."

Summer shook her head. She had been trying to get him to sing with her for the better part of a week. He had never even so much as hummed. She had known him for months and although they had become friends, he still kept to himself.

She didn't understand why. In her mind, she and the other Power Rangers were all one big, happy family. Summer smiled despite his response. She wouldn't give up so easily. "C'mon, just once," she prodded. "I bet you'd be good at it..."

Dillon stared at her. "No." He slid the cue stick back and forth and hammered his shot hard. The cue ball _clacked_ against the others and sent three balls slamming into their pockets. He half-smiled, which is most of what he often offered when things went his way.

As Dillon angled for more shots, Summer looked around at The Garage, her favorite place in the world. It was their home: they slept in bunks, took their meals in the kitchenette and played games, all in the spaces surrounding their vehicles. It had a lived-in, casual feel. The expansive room was usually filled with activity, but today Scott was busy elsewhere trying to convince his father, the colonel, that a more aggressive attack against Venjix was in order and Ziggy was milling about in the adjacent Ranger Room.

Flynn was occupied with his truck nearby and since she and Dillon had some free time, Summer thought an effective way to spend time together would be to enjoy her hobby. She had shared it for some time with her friends and although everyone told her how much they appreciated her singing voice, Summer wondered if her recent singing mission was the real reason for the absence of their friends.

She decided that she couldn't blame them for being elsewhere. The entire world was now outside these walls, a city teeming with life: stores, businesses, schools, all very much like it was before. Summer cherished it. Ever since she had arrived in Corinth, she had felt at home. Her life was better here than it had ever been before. She never really had friends before, only people she thought she knew. Sure, there had been laughter, wealth and even fun but with her parents away all the time, she never really felt complete. She guessed that's why she never felt much like singing before.

Corinth was different. There was a beauty to it, a peaceful tranquility and although the entire city was contained within a shielded dome to protect it from the dangers of the wasteland, the holographic projectors conjured a constant image of a peaceful horizon. Walking the streets on sunny days, watching the children playing in the park, Summer found that she often felt like singing but she always had trouble finding someone to join in. She hoped she could get her friends to join her. Dillon seemed like a good candidate.

Months ago, when asked to join the Power Rangers, he only demanded one thing in return: getting his friend Ziggy out of prison.

Having met Ziggy shortly thereafter, Summer was certain he was good too and that he didn't belong in that awful place. He had only been placed there because of his association with Dillon and Dillon was only there because of what Venjix and his mechanical minions had done to him. She couldn't really imagine how horrible it must have been for him, having his memories taken and nearly being transformed into a robot. It wasn't his fault, she knew. He never volunteered to become a hybrid, part- machine and part-man.

Although the other Rangers didn't want to trust him because of this, Summer didn't worry too much about what mechanical enhancements he had; it was his heart that mattered. He had proven that by put his physical enhancements to effective use, his speed and strength allowing him great prowess in battle against Venjix and by the time he became Ranger Series Black, he had already saved her life twice.

Dillon, despite his gruff exterior, gave the definite impression that he had a good heart. As she watched him move around the pool table, his eyes scanning for his next shot, Summer couldn't help but admire his other assets. He was handsome, she couldn't deny that, with his strong jawline and warm brown hair. He was not a machine. He was a man. And she wasn't just a girl anymore. None of them were silly kids in high school; they were all adults and there was no point in pretending to be otherwise. Summer knew she was attracted to him, she just hoped the others weren't so aware of it. She had spent weeks wrestling with her feelings for him, flirting in her own little way, him flirting back in his slightly more obvious one. She enjoyed their little game and suspected he did too.

Just that morning, when Summer was dressing in her usual outfit of yellow shirt and good black jeans, she had thought about leaving her golden hair tied up, like she sometimes did before she arrived in Corinth. She had stood there a moment, looking at herself in the mirror, wondering if she should surprise everyone with something different. Finally, she undid her hair clip and let her blonde locks cascade down around her shoulders. If Dillon liked her, it was for who she was, not who she had been. Besides, she knew he already liked her. She remembered seeing his soulful brown eyes checking her out in the reflection of car windows when she helped the guys wash Scott's red racer or Flynn's big blue truck.

When his gaze lingered on her, she allowed herself a hidden smile.

Although Dillon had earned her trust and the trust of the other Rangers, he was still somewhat mysterious to everyone. Even himself. As he rounded her corner of the pool table, Summer stared at the insignia emblazoned upon the center of his leather Ranger jacket. The wolf in the shape of the number five represented the animal whose DNA had been the basis for his suits powers. It suited him. She knew he was the lone-wolf-sort, with his tendency to go off alone, but she also knew that he did that to protect the people he cared about. He may have been the lone wolf, but he was loyal to his pack.

Summer didn't believe that others always got that about him. They judged him by his sullen outward appearance, the loner who didn't care about anyone but himself. She saw past his gruff exterior. She saw him. The real reason she was coercing him to sing was because she often believed that when you sing, you bear your soul, and she wanted to see his soul, to know she was right about him.

The Garage was the perfect place for it, too. The open spaces provided wonderful acoustics but without music playing, if felt as if there was something missing. Except for the rhythmic sound of the socket wrench Flynn was using on his big blue truck, and the occasional clang of metal on metal when he exchanged tools, The Garage was unusually quiet today.

Too quiet, she decided. "Well, if you won't, then I will." She closed her eyes, cleared her throat and began singing:

" _Some say love, it is a river, that drowns the tender reed,_

 _Some say love, it is a razor that leaves your soul to bleed…"_

She crooned the song for him, pouring her heart into it, letting the sound take her away.

" _When the night has been too lonely, and the road has been too long,_

 _And you think that love is only for the lucky and the strong…"_

She allowed her voice to trail off, letting Dillon take the rest of the song. She heard nothing, and, after a moment, she opened her eyes.

Dillon was gone.

Summer stared at the cue stick on the green felt of the table and sighed. She had figured that if she showed him all the fun he was missing out on, he might change his mind.

Flynn slid out from under his big blue truck. "Lovely," he said with a genuine smile. His thick Scottish accent made her smile too. He wiped his hands clean with a rag and as he looked around, seemed to take note of Dillon's absence. "I guess it dinnae work."

"I won't give up," Summer declared. "I'll get him singing."

Flynn scratched his short brown hair. "Maybe you should try a different song," he offered. "You've been singing _The Rose_ for the better part of a week, now." He shook his head. "I dinnae think he fancies it, lass."

Summer shrugged. Maybe he was right. As Flynn headed towards the kitchenette for a drink, Summer set down her cue stick and meandered across the Garage. She kept thinking of her plan, trying to find some new angle. She moved past the truck and found herself wandering towards the Ranger Room, the laboratory/training facility and second half of their headquarters.

* * *

The sound of Tenaya 7's boot strikes against the metal floor reverberated down the corridor. Her eyes stared straight ahead. Venjix's palace had an efficient design that suited her: stark and bare of ornamentation. None of the frivolous human accruements to distract her from her mission. Sleek and functional, it was a model of unitarian splendor, much like her. Although all the corridors looked the same, she always knew where she was and where she was going. As she approached the center of the palace, she sighed.

Tenaya 7 wasn't looking forward to this meeting. She didn't know what this was about, but she could guess: Another plot to end the Power Rangers once and for all. Master Venjix would tell her what the plan was but it was always basically the same: Take down the shield, destroy the Power Rangers, and obliterate the city. It had been some time since Venjix had conquered the world, laying waste to everything human until all that dominated the planet was machine. But as long as humans thrived in the safety of Corinth, his victory would never be complete.

Constructed with human physiology and emotions, Tenaya Generation: 7, human infiltration attack bot had been created as a way of infiltrating the human defenses and destroying humanity. She was proficient. On her first mission, Tenaya 7 had infiltrated Corinth city and the Power Rangers inner circle.

She even came close to becoming the Green Ranger.

She still remembered holding the Series Green Morpher in her hand. She was seconds away from becoming the final stage of techno awareness. She was then accosted by the imbecile who had chosen her to be the last Power Ranger. They struggled with the morpher until finally he activated it on himself.

Tenaya 7 clenched her fists at the memory. If the fool hadn't taken it from her, she would have destroyed the Power Rangers from within. However, once bonded with the buffoon's DNA, it was irreversible. He was the last Power Ranger and there was nothing anyone could do about it. Master Venjix had elected to destroy her for her failure to acquire the Series Green Morpher and set his grinders to dismantle her, but to everyone's surprise, she destroyed the mechanical minions, proving once again that she was worth keeping around.

As it was, Venjix still needed her. It was obvious why. His other advisors were relatively incompetent. General Crunch was as big a buffoon as the Green Ranger and General Shifter, although smarter than Crunch, still wasn't anywhere near her level. Her human physiology was imperative to Master Venjix's offensive. Tenaya 7 could think like humans, act like humans, live like humans. But she was all machine. Inside her beautifully crafted outward form, there was only wire, circuitry, and gears.

Possessed of dark eyes and long dark hair, she was designed to be a fine-figured young woman, but her true assets were her quick wit and athletic abilities.

She could and had fought all the Power Rangers at once, besting them single handedly.

She was pure power, pure danger and pure evil.

And she was bored.

She took the last corner and as she strode towards the main chamber, she kept any sign of contempt from her face. Master Venjix was no doubt pleased with himself for conceiving his latest plan.

Probably wouldn't work, but Tenaya 7 didn't care; she just wanted some action.

As she strolled into the central chamber, the massive mechanical bulks of Generals Crunch and Shifter turned to face her. As their glowing red eyes fixed on her, she ignored them; they were beneath her. Her own eyes fixed solely on the glaring red orb imbedded in the front of the rotating cylinder which dominated the central chamber. Her master, Venjix the computer virus, was the glowing red light inside of that metallic cylinder and although he had no distinguishing features, there was no doubt in her mechanical mind when that blood red eye was upon her.

She gazed up at it, expectantly. "You summoned me, Master Venjix?"

" _Ah, Tenaya-7,_ " his mechanical voice boomed, " _Good. You are just in time to witness the completion of my newest weapon._ " The silver cylinder rotated, turning its crimson orb to the production vat, dominating the side of the room, drawing her gaze to it. The claw tool rose steadily upward and Tenaya 7 could see through the white smoke what it was that Crunch and Shifter seemed so excited about.

As the circular platform displaying her master's newest creation came fully into view, she frowned. In place of the attack bot she anticipated, she beheld only a large rifle. There seemed to be a cord and plug attached to it. There was no apparent energy source. She couldn't imagine what more there was to the weapon. "I'm sorry," she complained, waving her black-gloved hand at the device before her. "What exactly am I supposed to do with this?"

The cylinder rotated, turning the orb back towards her. " _Since you failed to acquire the Ranger Series Green Morpher, I'm giving you another chance, Tenaya-7_ …"

She looked up at him in confusion. "Another chance… to destroy the Power Rangers?"

" _No_ ," his voice boomed, " _to become one_!"

* * *

As the big white doors opened with the customary sound of twenty-first century technology, Summer considered what Flynn had said. He may have been right but she wanted a second opinion. As she entered, she couldn't help but notice the Ranger Room's efficient design, a stark contrast to the lived-in feel of the adjacent Garage. The white walls and floor always made walking through those double doors feel like stepping into another world. Her eyes roamed over the glass cases against the nearest wall, each display holding their Ranger Uniforms when they weren't being worn. Red, Blue, her own beloved Yellow, Green and Black all resplendent in their own case, their respective numbers emblazoned on the front of the uniforms and on the wall above each one.

Their powers were derived from animals, blending the DNA of fierce creatures with their uniforms. Scott's Red was the eagle, Flynn's Blue was the lion, her own Yellow was powered by the bear, while Ziggy's Green uniform was an orca and Dillon's Black was the wolf.

As she turned away from the protective cases, she found Doctor K, the creator of project ranger and their self-appointed mentor, working at her computer station. Although younger than all of them—Summer guessed her age to be about eighteen—the confidence with which she spoke made her seem wise beyond her years. Summer supposed she was. Doctor K was easily the most intelligent person in the entire city and although she still dressed in her school uniform, the authoritative lab-coat she wore over it every day reinforced the fact that she knew exactly what she was talking about.

"Ranger Series Yellow," Doctor K said in that airy voice of hers, "Is there something I can help you with?" Engrossed in her research, she often spoke to them without looking away from her three computer monitors.

Summer didn't know why, but ever since she had known her, Doctor K had always referred to the Rangers by their assigned colors. She never questioned it, though. "Actually, I was hoping to talk to Ziggy for a minute."

Ziggy, or as Doctor K insisted on calling him, "Ranger Series Green," was hovering around their mentor's desk. "Me?" he asked. "Okay. Sure." He wandered toward her, his big brown eyes lit with excitement at the prospect of being helpful. "What do you want to talk about?"

He was Dillon's best friend, as they had arrived in Corinth together. Although he hadn't known him much longer than the others, he seemed to have a special kinship with the lone wolf. If she wanted some inside information, Summer figured she'd better try him. "Ziggy," Summer asked as she folded her arms. "What am I doing wrong?"

His brown eyes lit up with seeming comprehension. "Oh! You mean that whole 'getting him to sing' mission." He cleared his throat. "You, uh, you still on that?" he asked, scratching his head of unruly dark hair. When she nodded, Ziggy continued. "Look, ah, Dillon's a cool customer." He shrugged. "I'm not sure anything will really work." He thought a minute. "Well, maybe if you tried a new approach…"

"Unlikely," Doctor K added under her breath. Her fingers filled the room with the tapping sound of her typing.

Summer looked past Ziggy. Seeing them both staring at her, Doctor K sighed. "An original approach isn't going to help." She kept her eyes on the monitors in front of her as she continued to explain in that detached manner of hers how she saw it. "With his inherent loneliness caused by his memory loss, his emotional state is not currently congruent with what you wish he would do."

Ziggy frowned. "Okay, what, ah, what does that _mean_ , exactly?"

Doctor K sighed again. "Simply put, Ranger Black doesn't sing for Ranger Yellow because he does not _feel_ like singing." She resumed typing. "If you like, I can have Ranger Red _order_ Ranger Black to sing." She gave Summer a meaningful look. "But don't expect that to work either."

Summer knew the truth of that. Dillon only followed orders when he felt like it. "I'm not giving up," she declared. "I'll just keep singing, showing him how much fun I'm having." Summer smiled. "He'll join in, eventually."

Doctor K shook her head without looking away from her computer screen. "I'm afraid that employing the same flawed strategy repeatedly is not likely to make it more effective."

Summer was just about to say she didn't believe that when the ranger alarm started blaring. "What is it?" she asked, joining Ziggy moving around the desk to look at the monitors.

Doctor K tapped furiously at her keyboard. "A breach in the city's shield." She typed faster. "Northeast sector of the city. I'm contacting the other Rangers. Singing lessons will have to wait, Ranger Yellow. It's time to go to work."

* * *

Tenaya 7 hoisted her new rifle into position. The grinders surrounded her, creating a protective barrier. "Just keep them busy," Tenaya 7 told them. "I need time to charge the weapon."

"Guess what?" came an all too familiar voice. Tenaya 7 looked up to see Red Ranger's cocky grin. "Time's up!"

Tenaya 7 growled. "Attack!"

The grinders rushed in, swarming the rangers who didn't even bother to morph. No point, really. Grinders were numerous but not so effective without greater numbers. They served their purpose well enough. While they were being thrashed, she focused her attention on charging the weapon.

She turned to General Crunch. "Well, don't just stand there," she scolded him, "plug it in!"

His mechanical fingers gripped the plug. He hopped around to her back. She held her hair out of the way. She could feel the plug insert into the port in the back of her neck. "System online," she said out of reflex. "Send in the smog bot."

By her command, the mechanical man leapt into action, his stove pipe arms billowing thick black smoke which engulfed the rangers. He was doing an excellent job of keeping them separated from Yellow and upping the ante. Seeing they were outmatched, all but Ranger Yellow went for their morphers, each raising their hand- held devices, pushing the button and issuing their security command call-out.

"RPM," they shouted in unison. "Get in Gear!"

Through the billowing black clouds, she could see each bright uniform materialize, identifying each individual Ranger. There was red, the perfect one. And near him was black, the brooding bad boy. Green was fighting well; for a clown. Blue was watching his back.

And there, all by her lonesome was poor Ranger Series Yellow; the one she had been looking for. Tenaya 7 gazed out at the battle, her mental command lowered her visor instantly into place. Amongst the broken scrap of grinders, each Ranger was engulfed by the Smog Bot's attack, but she could see that Ranger Yellow, still dealing with the remaining grinders, had yet to morph. "Excellent," Tenaya 7 said with a grin. Her enemy kicked the last grinders away and raised her own morpher.

"How perfectly predictable," Tenaya 7 sneered. She raised her weapon at Ranger Yellow…

* * *

Summer could see Tenaya 7 doing something in the distance. It didn't matter. She was about to morph and that was always a game-changer. As she pressed the button on her morpher and completed her vocal callout, she felt energy course through her, enhancing her strength, her speed, making her feel more aware, more awake, more alive. She always loved morphing. It felt as though she really were connected to the biosphere which powered their suits, as if she were connected to all living things. Summer wondered if her friends ever felt the same way. She would have to remember to ask them.

As the uniform materialized around her, strapping into place, she saw Tenaya 7 raise her weapon. Summer's eyes flicked to her friends for a moment, but she soon realized that her concern for them was unwarranted: Tenaya 7 wasn't aiming at them; she was aiming at her!

Scene 6

As Yellow began to access the Biofield, Tenaya 7 took aim. She smiled. "Bye, bye, Ranger Yellow!" and with a thought, she activated the weapon. As it discharged, blinding light burned through her, overwhelming her. She felt her own essence being ripped away. She heard herself scream. The last thing she experienced was sweeping towards Yellow with impossible speed as the energy blast linked with the biofield and delivered her into her new home.

As it slammed her into her target, she heard the gratifying sound of her Ranger Yellow's screaming.

If she could have, Tenaya 7 would have laughed aloud at the sound.

Suddenly, everything dimmed to black.

When she could see again, she was peering out from the mask of one ranger, looking into the mask of another. It was Ranger Red. He was so close. Her muscles burned with fury as she struggled to stand.

"Summer," he asked, "are you all right?"

Tenaya 7 looked up at him and grinned. "I'm fine," she said, in Summer's unfamiliar voice. "I'm just fine..."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"Are you sure you're all right?" Scott asked again.

Tenaya 7 smiled as best she could. "I'm fine, Scott," she assured him in Summer's unfamiliar voice. "Thanks for asking." She was so sick of his asking.

Flynn stepped up next and, with that charming Scottish accent, he added his sickeningly sweet concern. "That weapon hit you square, Summer. Maybe you should let the good doctor have a look at you?"

Tenaya 7 flipped Summer's blonde hair back over her shoulder and straightened her leather jacket. "You keep asking if I'm all right. Is this because I'm a girl?" She savored the awkward looks they now wore. "I told you all, I'm fine. You don't have to keep worrying." She shrugged. "Whatever that weapon was, it didn't stop me."

"Aye," Flynn said. "Sorry, Summer. It's just… you took a pretty nasty spill."

She gave him a sideways glance. "And I told you, I'm fine."

This was becoming annoying. She had work to do: Scout the headquarters, asses the city's defenses, learn all she could about the Power Rangers, destroy them from within. Their disgusting human compassion was slowing her down.

"Well, you know," Ranger Green put in, "I personally doubted you for a second, Summer. Of course, ah, I've seen what you can do," he added, putting his arm around her shoulders. "But I understand if they don't get it," he whispered.

She ground Summer's teeth. She wanted to break his lanky arm. She shrugged it off instead and flashed an empty smile. "Thanks, Ziggy."

He seemed confused for a moment but was off following Doctor K a moment later.

She had thought going into this mission that it would be difficult remembering all their names. She never had many occasions to call them anything other than "Rangers" and she found it difficult to remember the names of people she didn't care about. But it was easier than she thought. Summer's name was on the ID patch stitched on a patch on the front of her leather Ranger jacket along with her identification numbers. That certainly made it easier to keep track of all their names. Her leather jacket was comfortable, stylish. She reasoned it must have been custom made just for her and she constantly wore it over her own color-corresponding shirt, like all the other rangers. They also wore t-shirts in colors corresponding to their ranger colors: Scott wore a red t-shirt, Dillon wore a black t-shirt, Flynn wore blue and Ziggy wore green.

She now wore Summer's yellow t-shirt and although it had never been her color, she supposed it was now, since she was Ranger Yellow.

Although she had taken over Summer's body, she didn't have any of the memories of Ranger Yellow. As a result, the girl remained a mystery to her. The experience was remarkable nonetheless. She had felt a serious downgrade in energy from the moment she had de-morphed. She felt weak and slow, though not as much as she expected. It was truly a wonder how much power the Ranger's equipment gave these meager humans.

Given their inherent weakness, she wondered how they had always won against her master.

She supposed it didn't matter. Soon, Venjix would take the city and the world would be his. It had been less than an hour and she had already acquired the lay of the land. She found The Garage to be somewhat underwhelming. It had an inefficient design, with vehicles parked seemingly haphazardly, and tools lying about the floor. The place had the stink of humanity, with none of the icy efficiency to which she was accustomed. Racks of tires and hub caps adorned the walls. A pool table nearby might provide hand/eye coordination practice but all in all, she felt the headquarters of humanity's protectors less than ideal. She knew that the adjacent Ranger Room was the real training facility and command center.

That was where she would shut down the shields.

Priorities were a necessity, of course. First, she had counted the exits, then she determined which vehicles could be stolen for a quick getaway and finally, she began to measure the habits of each individual ranger.

Soon she would have enough information to obliterate them.

"Don't even think about it," said a voice behind her. She turned around. She found Dillon standing there with his arms crossed, staring at her.

"I'm sorry…?" she asked. Her muscles tensed underneath Summer's leather jacket. She was ready for the fight.

"I'm glad you're all right," he said, "but don't ask me to sing again. It's just not going to happen."

She shrugged. "Alright, I won't." She didn't know what this was about, and she didn't care. She started to walk away. "I need to rest." She meant it. She was tired. Humans were so weak, borderline useless. She wandered towards the metal stairs.

"Ah, Summer," a thick Scottish accent called out. "What're you doin?" Flynn pointed to the other side of the room. "Your room is that way, lass."

She forced her best Summer-smile. "Right," she said. "Sorry." She made her way over to the other staircase, ignoring their curious looks. As she ascended the metal staircase to Summer's room, she smiled a sly Landsdown grin. They were all such fools. They completely trusted her! She slipped into the drab little bunk and closed the door. Alone and safe, at last. At that very moment, she couldn't help but wonder how her counterpart was fairing…

* * *

Summer groaned. She could feel an ache in every part of her. She felt as if she were swimming and didn't know which way was up. She felt so strange, so lost. Her head felt heavy and cold chilled the side of her face. Struggling, she lifted her head. As her eyes searched the darkness, everything began to come into focus. She could see metal: walls and a floor. She heard voices too: Strange, alien, and yet somehow familiar. She took a deep, steading breath and tried to call out to her friends, but she found she couldn't speak.

Images swam in her memory. She recalled a feeling of excitement, of danger.

As the memories drifted through her mind, she realized that she wasn't dreaming.

Tenaya 7. She remembered. She was hit with some kind of energy discharge, mid-morph. Her head still rang with the pain of it. Cool air and quiet told her she might be in the Ranger Room. As her vision finally cleared, and as she stared straight ahead, the blurring images before her took sudden, sharp shape: Ugly monsters.

She gasped, tried to recoil. She had to stand, to fight.

As she tried to move, her muscles seared in protest. Struggling against her sluggishness, Summer staggered into a fighting position.

"Oooohhh!" one of the monsters exclaimed in a screechy voice. "I think she's still Tenaya. I guess it didn't work!"

Its words confused her. She scrutinized it. His face was half-copper, half-white, divided in the center by a huge cogwheel, as if someone had used it to split his skull. With the garish grin plastered permanently on his aggressively hideously head, Summer decided it was a face only a mother could love. His glowing red eyes glowered from either side of it like the eyes of some demon. She noticed they were the same vile glow of red as the taller, golden robot's eyes. He was a head taller than either of them.

Escaping with her life would be a challenge but, of course, she'd fought bigger attack bots.

"No," the golden robot decried in his oddly British accent. "I designed that weapon myself; it's her," he declared waving a blue hand before her as if presenting the screechy-voiced attack bot with a gift. "Summer Lansdown, formerly known as Ranger Operator Series Yellow."

 _Formerly?_ Summer's legs were steadier under her. She felt confident she could fight. She just didn't understand what they were talking about. She decided it didn't matter. She summoned her special attack: a chi energy blast. She waved her arms about to gather and form the energy and then focus it into a ball.

Instinctively, she thrust her arms outward, expecting a bright glowing ball like a miniature sun to fly away and blast them both. Nothing happened. She blinked. Looking down at her arms, she was surprised to find her hands covered in sinister black gloves. Her eyes trailed down her arms covered in metallic purple cloth. She followed the strange garment down the length of herself, and the sight nearly took her breath: Where she expected to find her familiar yellow uniform, there was instead the metallic purple material covering her from neck to deck. "What am I wearing?" she quavered. Her voice came out odd, deeper and different, startling her. Her black-gloved hands grasped at her throat. "What's wrong with my voice?"

Cogwheel-face made an interested, high-pitched sound. Golden/refrigerator-shaped bot added an impressed, "Ah…"

She glanced about. She only knew that she was alone and surrounded. "Where am I?" she demanded in that stranger's intonation. Her confidence wavered. She cleared her throat, trying to sound more like herself again. "What's going on," she demanded and again, her voice came out deeper than normal and different-sounding to her.

" _Success_!" a voice boomed behind her. She jumped at the sound, spinning around to find a giant metal cylinder looming above her. From the center, a single blood red orb glared down at her. " _Welcome, former ranger_!"

There was no doubt in Summer's mind who was addressing her. "Venjix…?" Her voice still sounded strange, and she still didn't understand why. "How did I get here?" she asked. "What's happening to me…?"

"Ah," the golden one exclaimed, "you have me to thank." He held up a square-shaped mirror. "Take a look!"

As she gazed into the mirror, the sight took her breath. Her face wasn't her face. Summer saw only her enemy's features framed by long dark hair. Tenaya 7's dark eyes stared back at her. Her breath came in panicked gasps. "No…" she whispered, her gloved hands tentatively feeling her new face. "I'm… Tenaya 7…" she said, in that awful Tenaya 7 voice. Her mouth hung agape at the sight. "What… what did you do to me?"

"We _switched_ you," cogwheel-face gleefully exclaimed in an obnoxious screech. "That's what we did! _Woo-hoo_!"

She swallowed hard. She wasn't herself anymore: She was Tenaya 7! This was insane! This couldn't be happening. But it was happening. She had become Tenaya 7! As that face that wasn't hers stared back from the mirror, panic threatened to overwhelm her. She felt dizzy. She had to escape. She turned to run, only to be stopped by a wall of grinders. The copper-wired and tin-plated faces of the mechanical minions surrounded her. They filled the area around her, forming a barricade. They stood there moving their arms up and down, silently blocking her retreat. She knew she wasn't going to be released; they were going to make her earn her freedom. Her hands fisted inside her black gloves. Shouting a battle cry in Tenaya 7's unfamiliar voice, she exploded on them. She punched and kicked through them, knocking them aside and smashing them apart. They surged forward, swinging and missing as she dodged, spun and kicked her way to freedom. As she fought, she marveled at Tenaya 7's superior strength. The mechanical minions clattered to the floor in loud crashes, sparks filling the air, the scent of burning ozone assaulting her olfactory sense. She knew she was doing well, but the grinders were everywhere.

Her eyes glimpsed the corridor behind them. It was still blocked by grinders. She kept yelling and smashing and fighting her way through to the corridor but with each gratifying crash of broken machinery, two more grinders appeared to replace them.

There were too many, she knew, but she had to keep fighting.

She just had to escape this nightmare.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Metal crashed against the floor. Sparks crackled the air. The stink of blown fuses burned her nose. Summer panted. She had crushed several more grinders, but they kept coming. She stood tall against them. She would not be defeated. "You want some more?" she shouted. "I can keep this up all day!"

She really couldn't. Tenaya 7's robot body felt stronger than anyone probably ever should, but it was clearly built with human physiology in mind. Fatigue weighed heavy on her arms and legs. She didn't know how much longer she could keep herself on her feet. Not with so many grinders still before her.

They had stopped advancing. They just stood there, raising their metal arms up and down. She panted, watching them as they stared at her, cocking their mechanical heads to the side, as they sometimes did. With only a large nut for an eye and two bolts in each face, their copper-wired faces were unreadable. She knew that as machines, they didn't weary or get demoralized, they just kept coming. At least, for now, they had stopped. She knew that it was only a momentary reprieve as they studied her. Her gaze darted past them, caught sight of the large opening to the corridor.

The way out was so close but with so many grinders blocking her way, it was hopelessly out of her reach.

She tried to steady her breathing, keep it level while she had the chance. Then they moved.

As the remaining grinders rushed her, she balled her fists tightly inside of her black gloves. _This is it_ , she thought. _This is the end._

" _Enough_!" boomed the monstrous voice of Venjix.

The grinders stopped. Her eyes scanned back and forth, waiting. Convinced the fight was finished, she turned and gazed up at the blood red orb that glared down at her.

" _You have proven yourself, former ranger. Stand beside me and you will know victory and everlasting life."_

Standing amongst the wreckage of broken grinders, she glared up at the orb. Summer lowered Tenaya 7's arms and shook her head of long, dark hair. "You must have blown a circuit if you think I would ever join you against my friends, Venjix." She glared up at the red orb. "Never."

The orb was silent. The room was still. _"Very well,"_ he said in a voice that seemed deadly calm with the ring of terrible finality.

A red energy blast shot down from the orb, slamming into her and shocking her off her feet, the glare turning the room blood red. The cold floor crashed against the side of her face and as the room swam in her vision, blurring images of her enemies dimmed to black.

* * *

Tenaya 7 smiled. Summer's black jeans and well-fitted yellow shirt made her feel comfortable, as if she could hide forever inside her. Not that she wanted to. As she gazed into the mirror, she blinked in surprise. Seeing Summer's blonde hair in her reflection was shocking, even now. She also found that Summer's green eyes staring back at her, so unfamiliar and so human, were somehow even more off-putting.

As she brushed Summer's long, golden hair, she supposed it didn't matter; it wouldn't be forever.

Setting down the hairbrush, she put such thoughts out of her mind.

She picked up Summer's Morpher and, clearing her throat, she resumed her training.

Once again, she rehearsed her lines: "RPM," she shouted as loud as she dared, "Get in gear!"

She didn't activate the Morpher; she just held it up to get the motion right. She had witnessed Ranger Yellow do it several times in real life and even more in the training videos she had studied prior to this mission. Now, she was sure she had it right. Enough to fool them anyway. She turned to the bed and picked up Summer's leather jacket. Raiding her closet hadn't provided as much as she hoped. For a former debutant, the girl didn't have much in the way of glamorous clothes. Aside from a tattered red dress in the back of her closet, the standard combination yellow shirt/black jeans were all she could find.

At least wearing the leather jacket made it bearable.

As she made her way out to The Garage, she mused on what she had been through. Waking up in someone else's body had been a thoroughly unique experience. She couldn't remember ever feeling so slow, so weak. The engine cell draped around her neck was a constant reminder of the power she could have. Her hand found it instinctively. It was a great comfort, always there, ready to be used. She wished Venjix would attack so she could morph again.

Her eyes roamed over her new home. She had seen The Garage before from her spy camera but to experience it through Summer's body was different. She could smell the oil and grease, hear the whirring of the tools and the conversations of the Power Rangers. Idly, she wondered what the place would look like in flames.

As she made her way down the stairs, she observed where everyone was and what they were doing. Not much action today. Everyone seemed busy, though. The blue one was working on his big blue truck, the red one was shooting pool with the green clown and the black one was…

"Hey."

Behind her.

She turned to face him. "Hey, yourself." She moved past him and started towards the kitchenette.

He followed. "You look good. Better since yesterday."

He seemed genuinely interested in her.

As she grabbed an apple off the counter, she suppressed a smile. Looking at him, she wanted to laugh at his sad, lost puppy eyes. She controlled herself instead. "Thanks," she told him. She hoped he wouldn't talk to her anymore. She had a job to do. Venjix was going to send their forces to attack the city and…

"So, you wanna play?" he asked, hands in his pockets.

She roused from her thoughts. "What?"

"Pool," he said gesturing back to the table on the other side of the room. "You wanna finish our game?"

She didn't have time for this. "I don't think so." She turned away and started towards the Ranger Room.

"Afraid you'll lose?" he called out.

She halted. Glaring back over the shoulder of Summer's stylish leather jacket, Tenaya 7 told him the truth. "I'm not afraid." She turned to face him. "And I don't lose."

He shrugged. "You almost did last time."

She found his half-smile infuriating. She supposed she had time to wipe it off his smug face. "One game," she icily agreed.

He smiled, and they headed over to the pool table.

* * *

Summer strained against her restraints. As strong as she now was, the metal cuffs wouldn't give. Not that she expected them to; she just wanted to try something. She gazed about the small room, the uniform metal walls and ceiling offering her no indication of where in the palace she might be. All she could see was what was before her: a metal door and a control panel nearby. With her wrists and ankles locked to the standing metal table, she didn't like her chances of using Tenaya 7's powerful body to destroy any more of Venjix's forces.

Or even warn her friends.

She was trapped. There was no way out. She sighed. Her thoughts drifted to her friends, her home, and her family. Despair washed over her. Even if she escaped Venjix's palace, she wasn't sure how she would convince them of her true identity. She could hardly convince herself of the truth. Every time she caught a glimpse of her own reflection in the polished chrome of the cell, she tensed up.

All she ever saw now was the face of her enemy: Tenaya 7.

She tried to think of what Tenaya 7 would do to escape. Probably not get caught in the first place. She thought of all the times they had fought, all the tricks she had seen her use. Suddenly, she remembered Tenaya 7's favorite trick. She craned her neck to look up at her Tenaya 7's right hand. The cuff restrained her at the wrist. She wondered…

She twisted her arm hard, first one way, and then the other. After a minute of rotating the arm, she felt a soft click. She carefully lowered her right arm, leaving the black-gloved hand in place. She smiled.

Staring at the stump of Tenaya 7's arm, she laughed. She could scarcely believe it worked! She glanced up at the hand and wiggled the fingers. They moved exactly as she made them move. Concentrating, she made the hand obediently waggle back and forth, finally toppling and falling to the floor. It landed on its fingertips. As she worked the fingers forward, she watched with satisfaction as the robot hand crawled across the metal floor toward the control panel. She flexed, and the hand hopped up onto the controls. It took a moment but eventually she crawled the black-gloved hand across the controls and found the buttons to press. Most of them didn't do anything but in time she found the right combination.

Suddenly, the shackles _clacked_ open all at once, sending her falling to the floor.

She reattached the hand and grabbed the handle of her cell, surprised to find that it wasn't even locked.

As she opened it and slipped into the cavernous corridor, she wondered how on earth she was going to get home.

* * *

Tenaya 7 watched the ball rolling smoothly across the green felt, willing it to stop. She glared as it ignored her silent command and sank into the corner pocket.

"That's game," Dillon said.

She ground Summer's teeth. Her hands twisted around the cue stick. She couldn't believe it. She had lost three games in a row! It was impossible. He must have cheated. "Another game," she demanded.

He shrugged. "It's your funeral."

"I'm afraid the funeral will have to wait," Doctor K interrupted. "Ranger Yellow, may I see you in the Ranger Room?"

She put her cue stick down and followed the lab rat into the Ranger Room. The place seemed the same as the last time she had invaded. The Ranger uniforms were still in their protective cases against the wall. Doctor K sat at her desk behind the computer monitors, a safe cocoon from which she could direct the action and immediately began typing something.

"From what I can tell, that blast you were hit with didn't hurt you." She didn't look away from her computer screens. "But it doesn't seem like it was meant to." She stood and walked over to the computers on the wall. "This is the biofield." She indicated a green global image. "And this is the part that was affected…"

Tenaya 7 didn't know where exactly where this analysis was leading. She could guess though…

As Doctor K studied the screen, Tenaya 7 slowly approached her back. She would make it quick.

Alarms blared, startling her. She was just about to ask what the racket was when Doctor K answered her unspoken question. "Shield breach in sector nine." She tapped at the keyboard. "Sensors detect a small garrison heading for the main power grid." Doctor K didn't look away from the screen, just kept her focus on the images. "If they shut down power, it could mean catastrophic shield failure."

Tenaya 7 found that she couldn't keep a smile from ghosting across Summer's face. Her allies were inside the city. It was about time they showed up to begin phase two of their plan…


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Summer sighed. She felt as if she had been walking for hours. The walls of circuit board that made up Venjix's palace stretched on for what she was certain were miles and miles. There was no end in sight. Fortunately, Tenaya 7's robotic body wasn't even tired yet. The robot girl had stamina to spare.

Physical fatigue wasn't the problem. Nerves were. In the eerie quiet of the mechanical fortress, she felt like the last person in the world. Grinders patrolled the corridors and she found herself hiding in adjacent corridors as they passed. She had rarely felt so alone, so afraid. But she was a fighter. Always had been. She had practiced martial arts since she was little, long before she had a need for those skills in real combat situations. Growing up, Summer always had the finest instructors that her parent's money could buy and was an apt student. But she had never had to fight alone…

Whenever she had been in dangerous situations like this before, she always had someone watching her back: Her friends, Doctor K, the other Power Rangers, and before them, Andrews.

As she slinked along the corridor, ever watchful for grinder patrols, she remembered her family's servant. Andrews had always been there for her, in fact, he practically raised her. While Mom and Dad were jet-setting off across the world enjoying the virtues of nearly unlimited wealth, their steadfast butler Andrews always remained, doting upon their demanding daughter.

Remembering his staunch loyalty and his years of service, Summer felt a shiver of guilt course through Tenaya 7's body. Tending to her every whim couldn't have been easy, for even a young man, and while she had never known his age—never even wondered—she could tell by his perfectly combed white hair and weathered, wrinkled face that he was perhaps too old to be anyone's father. But through all her childish demands and the self-serving behavior she often exhibited, he never so much as complained.

Throughout it all, his kindly smile and gentle words always reassured her that everything would be to her liking. His diligence always made sure it was.

Despite having all the money and comforts of luxury, despite being surrounded by her fellow debutantes, Summer felt perpetually lonely. Her parents had always been away on business trip and vacations and although they had promised to be there for her twenty-first birthday, they had only sent the black diamond necklace. She smiled as her guests cheered her present and assured her that bling was all she needed.

Although she put on a brave face for her peers, nothing in the world could have mended her broken heart. Not even Andrews.

When the war against Venjix destroyed most of the world and cost her everything she owned, Andrews disappeared. Without her parents and Andrews, she fled with her rich associates into the wasteland. They wandered for hours under the unforgiving sun until a military transport found them. Everyone clambered on board. Everyone, that is, except Summer Landsdown.

When she learned that there wasn't enough room for her she was shocked to see her friends abandon her. She chased after them but the vehicle rode away into the distance, leaving her behind. She wandered the wastes alone, calling out for help. Stranded in the desert, with no food or water, wearing only her red party dress, high heeled shoes and expensive jewelry, Summer learned just how meaningless her wealth was. No one would help her. She felt certain she was going to die.

Venjix drones soared overhead, and, strafed by laser fire, she fell face down in the desert sands.

Suddenly, she heard a strange horn and from the dusky horizon she saw a stranger sight: an ice cream truck. Staggering to her feet, she ran towards it and flagged it down.

Miraculously, it stopped.

The door swung open. Andrews emerged still wearing his butler uniform. At the sight of him, Summer laughed in blessed relief. She leapt into his arms, so happy to see him. "Oh, Andrews!" she cried. She could scarcely believe it: Against all odds, he found her in the wasteland.

Andrews smiled down at her. "Forgive the delay, Miss Summer," he explained in his most jovial voice, "the Venjix drones bombed the limo." He gestured to the multicolored monstrosity behind him. "I had to scrounge another means of transport." Summer rewarded him with another hug. He was there for her, even at the end of the world. "Come, Miss Summer," he said, opening the door, "I need to get you to Corinth city before they raise the shields, your parents are waiting for you there."

She hesitated. Hope had been restored, but Summer Landsdown still had her reservations about being seen riding in anything that aggressively hideous.

Andrews smiled and assured her he would stick to the side roads, away from prying eyes.

Summer was only alive today because he had managed to find that ice cream truck and risked everything to get her to the safety of Corinth. Even when the truck had finally broken down, Andrews refused to give up. He led her across the barren sands on foot for miles to reach her parents.

His steadfast faith in her gave her strength, gave her a reason to smile in a time when there was little reason to do so. He believed in her like no one else ever had. He saw something special in her.

And he was right.

Where others had seen only the image of a spoiled rich girl, he had seen something more. Andrews was the only one who looked past her glamorous image and saw the real her.

Summer glanced down at the metallic purple suit she now wore. "Oh, Andrews," she said, in that Tenaya 7 voice of hers, "if you could see me now!"

She knew she had to get home, get help. She had to get back to her friends, to warn them somehow. She couldn't let anything happen to them; they were her family.

Andrews never gave up.

Neither would she.

She peeked around a corner. She saw no one, but that didn't mean there weren't enemies about. As she took the corner and slinked down the corridor, she tried to think of a plan. If she could find the hanger, she could commandeer a vehicle and make her way back to Corinth. Once she was there, she had to think of a way to convince her friends of who she truly was. Of course, she had no idea how to do that; all she knew was that she had to get there. She could figure out the rest later. The sound of gears and mechanical footsteps echoing through the corridor up ahead roused her from her thoughts.

Ducking into a nearby room provided a safe place to hide for a moment. Considering how frightened she felt, she was surprised she wasn't shaking. The steady sound of boot-steps echoing against the metal cavern was the only sounds besides the pounding of her mechanical heart.

Quietly, she sang to herself, trying to calm her nerves.

 _Some say love, it is a river…_

 _That drowns the tender reed…_

She kept her eyes closed and let the familiar song take her back to a time when she felt safe. The sound of Tenaya 7's voice coming from her mouth was disturbing but the words were so comforting that she felt herself calming down anyway.

 _Some say love, it is a razor,_

 _that leaves your soul to bleed…_

She let the rest of the song play in her head. As she listened to the rhythmic sound of grinders passing, she sneaked a peek over her shoulder. In the center of the dark room, she spotted what appeared to be a console of some kind. Grinders were guarding it. She was about to charge in to fight them when she had an idea. Squaring her shoulders, she strode into the room. Putting on her most confident sneer, she stared the grinders down. "Haven't you heard? I'm back!" She flicked a black gloved hand, dismissing them. "Get out."

The grinders looked at one another, then at her. After a moment, they scurried away. She smiled and turned her attention to the console. She stole a last glance at the entryway. She was alone.

Set back in the darkness of the room, was a console unlike any she had ever seen. As she approached, she didn't notice a keyboard or any other form of controls with which she was familiar. All she could see was a small port below the screen. She figured she needed a device to access it. Her hand instinctively reached for her pocket. She looked down, and, realizing her morpher wasn't there, she instantly felt a fool for not remembering why. To her growing concern, she found that her metallic purple body suit had no pockets at all. She had no device with which to interface with the computer. Summer wondered how Tenaya 7 ever managed to engage with this technology. She barely thought the thought when she felt something slide out of Tenaya 7's forefinger. A small metal tab had appeared. Curious, she plugged it into the port. Her vision faded and before her eyes, she could see the red lights of digitized info flooding across the screen as well as in her mind. The images were impossibly fast but, somehow, she realized that she could understand it all. Much of it was classified and she found that she couldn't access it but what she was looking for was not that vital.

Instantly, she knew where the hanger was located. Reflexively, she also accessed a flight path and the schematics for a drone. Suddenly, she knew everything about how to fly one. There were apparently advantages to being trapped in the body of a robot. She smiled. Finally, something was going her way. She wished she had the ability to access more vital information about Venjix and his forces but she found that she couldn't get past the firewalls. It didn't matter. She knew what she needed to know. She pulled the tab out of the console, disengaging from the computer. She reasoned that she could reach the hanger easily enough from her current location and commandeer a drone without much trouble.

All she had to do now was get herself home.

* * *

The Smog Bot filled the streets with smoke, thick black clouds billowing from his stove-pipe arms and pouring out of his stove-pipe head into a massive dark pillar. The Rangers stood together, Tenaya 7 safely hidden among them in Summer's body. "Ready?" Scott called out. "Ready!" they all echoed. "RPM: Get in gear!" they shouted in unison.

Then they morphed.

The rush of power was exhilarating. Tenaya 7 felt Summer's body fill with power, the suit enhancing her movements, lending strength and speed to her frail human form. She was beginning to feel like her old self again. As the other Ranger's went on the attack, Tenaya 7 held back and watched.

The Power Rangers fought together, complementing each other's attacks. She found their technique grudgingly impressive. Surrounding the smog-bot, they landed blows on its black armored form sending sparks flying. It swung its stove-pipe arms about trying to hit something, anything. It didn't really matter if it did any real damage. It would be over soon, she knew. As he overwhelmed the Power Rangers with a sudden smog attack, their brightly colored uniforms disappearing into the cloud of thick black smoke, they all seemed to lose sight of him. She did too. "There he is," she shouted, and as if on cue, a horde of grinders surrounded her. "I've got these guys," she assured them. "Go after it!"

The other Rangers charged off after the smog-bot, leaving "Tenaya Summer" to fend for herself. Nothing she couldn't handle, of course. She bested the grinders with relative ease, mercilessly smashing the expendable machines to pieces.

Suddenly, she spotted General Shifter. She drew her nitro blaster and, extending it into her nitro sword, she charged. He noticed her and clutched his staff at the ready. Nitro sword clashed with lighting staff as the two fought each other in the street. Swinging wildly into him, she felt suddenly weak and ineffectual by comparison. Fighting grinders had been relatively easy; fighting General Shifter was somewhat difficult. Being a Power Ranger wasn't all she expected. Under normal circumstances she would have devastated the mechanical General, but in Summer's body, she was hardly a match for him, even morphed. Shifter shrugged off her attacks, laughing in that pompous voice of his.

"What's the matter, little ranger?" he mocked. "Feeling weak?"

She growled and unleashed a flurry of attacks he easily deflected. General Shifter wasn't her friend; she didn't have friends. Friends were for the weak and foolish. They were rivals and she wasn't about to let General bolts-for-brains outshine her. She fought as well as she could in her reduced state, landing successive blows on his rectangular golden form. She didn't have to keep it up for much longer, just long enough to get the device from him. With a powerful swing of his staff, he knocked her to the ground.

The blow sent her sprawling across the asphalt. He laughed again. He was enjoying this way too much.

"Did I hurt you, little ranger?" he asked in that condescending voice.

She slammed her hands against the asphalt. She looked around, and seeing no one, realized it was time.

She stood. This time she didn't attack, instead putting away her weapon.

"Aw, no more fun and games?" he scoffed.

She sighed, extended her hand. "Just give me the device."

He reached behind his massive metallic back and produced a small box. He handed it over.

"And this will disrupt the shield?" she asked, turning the copper-colored box over in her hands.

"Yes, when you push the button hidden on the bottom of the device, the shields will deactivate, allowing our forces to devastate the city," he explained. "The rest is up to you." He gestured to the Rangers occupied in the distance. "All you have to do is hand it over to them."

A voice in the distance interrupted them. "Summer!" Red shouted.

"Take me down," she told Shifter. "Make it look real."

His staff blasted lightning across her chest, sending her sprawling again. "Looks real to me," he intoned.

She growled in that still unfamiliar Summer voice. "When all this is over and the world belongs to master Venjix, I'm going to personally rip out your voice box, you tin can."

He laughed, then turned and swept away majestically his black cape billowing out behind him. Ranger's red and black arrived and helped her to her feet.

"Are you all right?" Dillon asked.

"Fine," she told him. She handed the device to Red. "I managed to get this away from him."

As he held it close, Tenaya 7 waited to see what he could make of it.

He shrugged. "We'll have Doctor K examine it. Maybe she knows what it is."

* * *

"I have no idea what this is." Doctor K ran her scanner over the device again. Nothing seemed to happen.

Tenaya 7 suppressed a smile. It was all happening just as Venjix said it would. Nothing could stop them now.

Doctor K placed the device on a small metal table and returned to her computers. She pressed a key that, to Tenaya 7's surprise brought a clear cylinder down around the table. She had been trapped inside that cylinder before and she knew how to release it. She simply had to wait until everyone else was asleep.

Doctor K gestured to the device. "The best we can do for now is to keep it secured. At least until we know what they were trying to do with it." She looked at the box sitting innocuously in the containment unit. "It could turn out to be a bomb for all I know."

The Rangers took a collective step back.

Doc K rolled her eyes. "Don't worry, Rangers. If it were a bomb, I'm sure it would have killed us all by now."

Ziggy laughed a little. "Um, remind me again why that's supposed to be reassuring." He scratched his unruly dark hair. "I think I'll go find something to eat in the kitchen… over there."

As he scampered away, the other Rangers started splitting off, each going their own way. Scott left saying he wanted to talk to his father, the colonel, about the new device and the possibility of another Venjix attack. Flynn returned to the garage to work on his truck and that left her alone with Dillon. As she tried to approach the containment vessel, his hand caught Summer's arm. "Let's not get too close to that thing… at least until we know what it is." He tugged her arm. "C'mon, let's go have that rematch."

She shrugged his hand off. "I should stay and help Doctor K with this new Venjix thing." She really did have to stay and make sure Doctor K wouldn't find the button hidden on the underside of it.

Doctor K shook her head. "Until I can determine what this device is, Ranger Yellow, it would seem prudent to keep a respectable distance." She gestured to Dillon. "Please, enjoy your recreational time."

Dillon's hand found Summer's arm again. "C'mon, I know you've been looking forward to this one." He pulled her along, away from the device and her ultimate goal. She rolled her eyes and followed.

Destroying the city would have to wait.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

As they walked down the sidewalk along the shops and restaurants, Tenaya 7 sighed. She was so bored. Their pool game ended with her victory which she suspected was due to his acquiescence. He never said he had let her win, but she felt he was taking pity on her. She hated him even more for it. Pool no longer held her interest, so without much else to do, Ranger Black had taken her out to see the city. Since he didn't remember anything about his own past, he had asked her many questions about hers, about her life before Corinth, questions to which she had no answers. She had responded with a shrug or the occasional, "I suppose." It seemed to suffice. The day dragged on for what seemed like an eternity. They had eaten at fast food places and even taken in a show. She had hated every human moment of it.

Watching it all through Summer's eyes, she wondered how anyone could stand living in such a place. Even though the entire city of Corinth existed within a shielded dome, the environmental controls and simulation technology gave the place the appearance of an idyllic human civilization. Everything about it offended her every sense: The sunshine, the clean air, it was all starting to make her dizzy. As they made their way across the city, the late day sun beginning to cast shadows across the streets, she amused herself by imagining how the buildings would soon look: The homes and businesses ablaze, black smoke rising to the top of the dome, battalions of grinders marching through the streets amid the panicked humans, their sharp screams ripping the air…

Children's laughter roused her from her thoughts. Two of them brushed past her on their way down the street, running without fear or concern. She sighed. The vermin were everywhere. The park they crossed through was busy, parents and kids and lovers holding hands. It was all so disgusting. She wasn't sure how much longer she could stand it.

The wasteland outside seemed a world away. She supposed it didn't matter. Soon, this last bastion of humanity would be another spot in the wastes.

She could hardly wait.

* * *

Summer could hardly wait. The controls were right in front of her. She stared at them longingly. If only she could activate them she could be back in Corinth within the hour. But she had to wait. She needed the security system malfunction she rigged to cover her escape. All she had to do was watch the clock and think about all that was at stake.

She missed her home. She missed her friends. She wanted so much to tell them what was going on.

But she knew she couldn't.

She had tried rehearsing. She tried saying "I'm Summer Lansdowne" several times but to her surprise, she couldn't speak the words. Something about Tenaya 7's programming was preventing her from saying who she really was. A security measure, she was sure. She didn't know how to overcome it, so she focused on what she would do to "Tenaya Summer" when she found her.

Again, she cast her right arm out and as if by reflex, the copper-colored blaster appeared, extending beyond her first two fingers. Raising the weapon before her face, she smiled. At least something was working. As for how to handle the situation with her friends, she wasn't sure what she should do. As it stood now, there was nothing she could do but wait and remember.

As she watched the mindless automatons milling about the hanger, she wished she could destroy them.

She hated grinders, not just for attacking her and her friends, but for what they had already cost her. As she rested Tenaya 7's head against the chair of her drone's cockpit, she closed her eyes and sighed.

As her mind drifted, she remembered her first fight with them.

Andrews was leading her to Corinth. She was still a long way away from becoming a Power Ranger or even learning what one was. Trudging along under the glare of the wasteland sun, her red party dress offering no protection from the grainy gusts of wind, she sank down on a dirt dune amongst discarded machines and asked Andrews why he put up with her instead of leaving her behind. Standing there, at the foot of the hill, Andrews stared up at her, regarding her with kindness as he always did. His dirty, weathered face lit up with a grandfatherly smile. "I suppose it's the same reason I've stayed with you and your family all these years, Miss Summer," he said. "I'm waiting."

She tossed up her hands in a futile gesture. "Waiting for what?" She couldn't fathom what could be worth waiting and sacrificing for.

"For you, Miss Summer." His words surprised her. "I'm waiting for you to show me who you really are, underneath that makeup, that hair, those fancy clothes," he nodded to her necklace, "and that diamond."

Summer fingers touched the black diamond necklace against her chest. She glanced down at the Landsdown family heirloom that her parents had sent to her. She still wore it to remind herself of them.

Despite Andrews words of encouragement, Summer felt lost in that moment. As she let the diamond slip from her fingers and fall back into place, she shrugged. "I don't know who I am," she confessed.

"That's quite all right, Miss Summer," he assured her. "I do. That's why I'm happy to keep waiting."

Summer sat there, tired but encouraged by his words, by his faith in her. She even managed a small smile. Suddenly, Andrews' smile fell away, replaced by a look that alarmed her. He rushed up the dirt slope towards her, arms outstretched. "Miss Summer, watch out!"

Summer turned just in time to see the grinders cresting the dirt hill, their wrench-shaped blaster rifles aimed at her. She stood, arms outstretched in a hopeless defensive gesture. They had her in their sights. Summer was unarmed, defenseless. She knew she was about to die.

Blaster fire burned the air, making the desert sun seem pale. Dirt exploded at her feet. She could feel the heat bathe her bare arms and legs. Andrews weathered hands gripped her, and, in a surprising show of strength, he tossed her head-first down the soil slope. She heard the ripping blasts of laser fire and Andrews as he tumbled down after her. As she rolled downwards, her arms and legs bouncing off the hot dirt, the world spun in her vision. Summer heard the explosions cracking above and Andrews cries of pain.

They were both in danger, but she couldn't stop falling.

Finally, she reached level ground, rolling to a stop. She felt metal hands grabbing her arms, lifting her up. Anger surged within her, the sound of Andrews' groans making her fight back. She pushed the grinders away, tossing them aside. She focused all her martial arts training on them as she kicked and punched and dodged their blaster fire. As they blasted her, Summer took cover, rolling over an abandoned freezer, holding up the lid like a shield. The laser blasts slammed against it then suddenly stopped. Their fire seemingly exhausted, Summer leapt over the freezer and into the fray. She blocked and kicked and tossed them aside. When one grinder levelled his blaster at her, she grabbed his arm and redirected his attack. Aiming the weapon at the row of six grinders, she fired. They lit up in successive explosions, the impact ripping them apart. She tossed the last grinder over the freezer, breaking it apart as well.

The desert was suddenly silent.

Summer turned to find Andrews lying on his back. She rushed over to him and kneeling by his side, her hands took up his. "C'mon, we have to go!"

Andrews weathered face managed a smile. "Twenty miles straight ahead, Miss Summer," he said, his eyes half-closed. "You can make it…"

"Not without you," she cried, her fingers clutching his big hand. "Please, I still have to show you the real me, who I am on the inside, all of that…"

"You will, Miss Summer," he assured her. "I'll be watching," he gasped. "And I'll be waiting…"

Summer watched helplessly as Andrews went still. His hand went slack in her grip. Tears stung her eyes. She wanted to stay with him, to somehow make this right, but an explosion blasted the dirt behind her changing her mind. The whirring sound of grinders marching in the distance chased away any lingering thoughts of staying. She had to move, now.

Solemnly, she placed Andrews' big hand on his chest and, turning towards the wastes, she fled.

After arriving in Corinth and reuniting with her parents, she immediately set to honoring his memory by doing something important. Summer heard over the radio that there was a downed pilot stranded in the wastes. When she asked where he was, a paramedic told her that they were about to raise the shields and seal the city, that he was too far out to help.

The next thing she knew, Summer was dressed in a spare paramedic's uniform and commandeering a motorcycle. She yanked off her diamond necklace and handed it to her father. Then, against her parent's objections, she rode out into the wastes.

She found the injured pilot outside the city and put his broken arm in a sling. Helping him onto the motorcycle, she rode back into Corinth, dodging blaster fire and skidding inside the dome just in time to watch the shield go up.

At the time, she didn't know who he was, just that he needed help. His name was Scott Truman and although neither of them knew it at the time, he would go on to become the Red Ranger. Summer saved their future leader that day, knowing that she was only alive to do so because of Andrews' heroism.

Although they didn't know it, many of the Power Rangers she had saved since arriving in Corinth owed their lives to Andrews' courage. And, so too, did the people of the city that they protected every day.

To a lot of people, they were heroes. But to her, Andrews was the hero.

Summer missed Andrews. He paid for her second chance with his life and she had intended to honor that sacrifice. She couldn't let his sacrifice be for nothing. Summer would find her way back to Corinth. She had done it before, with worse odds than this, and she would do it again. Her friends needed her.

She would find a way to warn them.

Whatever it took.

* * *

Tenaya 7 cautiously approached the controls. The Ranger room was quiet, almost comfortingly eerie. She had waited until she was certain that everyone else was asleep and then slipped in to disable the containment unit. It appeared that no one was about. Now was her chance.

"What are you doing?" an all too familiar voice asked.

She turned in time to see Doctor K. The sight of her absurd pajamas and fuzzy dog slippers made her want to laugh out loud. Instead, she thought up a lie quick. "I was just wondering if you had any more information on that device that the attack bot dropped."

"Not yet," Doctor K said. Her dark eyes squinted in suspicion. "I'm still analyzing it." She moved past Tenaya 7 and picked up her scanning device. As she ran it over the shielded mechanism, she sighed. "As far as I can tell, it doesn't do anything…"

"Oh yes it does." She moved behind her, her hand drawing her wrench from her back pocket. She swung the wrench down hard, clobbered Doctor K on the back of her head, sending her spilling to the floor. She tossed aside the wrench. "It distracts you."

Snatching the key card from her pocket, she removed the containment unit, watching as the shatter-proof tube rose into the ceiling. Dragging Doctor K behind her desk, she set to work disabling the alarm system. Then she lifted the device and found the button on its underside. She pressed it, activating the shield frequency scrambler.

The computer monitors on the wall activated. A curious, middle-aged man appeared on the screen. His dark face was set with concern.

It was Colonel Truman.

"Doctor K, Rangers, what's going on?" he demanded. "Our sensors indicate that the shield is being lowered from your location."

She strode up to the screen and made up a half-lie, quick. "Sorry, Colonel," she said, looking back at the floor under the desk, where the annoying doctor lay unmoving. "Doctor K is unconscious. The device we brought back must have done something to her," she told him. "What's this about the shield?"

"The shield is being deactivated from inside that room," he repeated. "What's going on? Where is everyone else? Why aren't the Ranger Alarms sounding?"

"My guess is that it also did something to the alarms. I'll let the others know what's going on. Tenaya 7…" she caught herself, "…is probably on her way with Venjix's forces right now. We'll go out to meet them. Ranger Series Yellow, out."

She turned off the screen before he could ask any more questions. Her gaze drifted back to Doctor K still unconscious on the floor. She had the perfect opportunity. As she strolled over to her, she mused that Doctor K wouldn't be able to offer any important last words. "After all you did to stop Venjix," she said in that Summer voice she hated so much, "It's a shame you won't live to see him reign over your world." She found the wrench on the floor. Her hand wrapped tightly around the handle.

Not her favorite method, but it would do.

The doors opened. She slipped the wrench back into her back pocket as she watched as Scott, Flynn, Dillon and Ziggy rush into the room.

"What's going on?" Scott asked, looking around. "My dad just called me. He said there's an attack on the way." His eyes moved to Doctor K on the floor. "Oh, no…" They all rushed over to Doctor K.

She gestured to the doctor's unconscious form. "I found her like this. I think the device did it." She scratched her head of blonde hair. "I think it disrupted the shield too."

As Scott and Ziggy tended to the doctor, Flynn threw his hands up in a futile gesture. "For the love of Odin's beard, what are we gonna do without the good doctor?"

"I know," Dillon added. "Without her here to down-morph the zords, we won't be able to go megazord. If the next attack bot super-sizes…"

"Then we're finished," Tenaya 7 concluded, suppressing a smile. She was counting on that.

The room shook with a _boom_ that they all knew wasn't thunder. They all looked up at the ceiling as if expecting it to come down on them. No one said anything; they didn't have to, they all knew what the sound meant: They were too late.

The attack had begun.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Summer stared blankly as the endless wasteland skimmed below her. She remembered how the world had been before: normal. It wasn't perfect, of course; there were problems, like always, but it was better than this barren expanse. She hated seeing the heartbreaking view of the world from outside her dome.

The entire world was gone, save Corinth.

If she didn't return in time, these barren sands would be all that was left.

As her drone skimmed along the afternoon sky, she sang her song.

 _Some say love, it is a river,_

 _That drowns the tender reed,_

 _Some say love..._

As she caught sight of what lay ahead, her breath caught in her throat and her mouth went dry; she had never seen Corinth from this perspective before. Drones swarmed the sky around the dome. Their plasma beams lit the air, striking at the unprotected structure. Explosions flamed on its surface. Motorbikes skimmed along the desert sands far below, cresting dunes and firing lasers at the defenders.

Her hands tightened reflexively on the controls.

She was too late to warn them.

The city was under attack.

* * *

Corporal Hicks peered through his binoculars. His gaze lifted from the grinders riding across the wastes to the drones swarming the skies above. Times like these, he missed the Air Force. The sight of all those enemy ships streaking across the skies above his home caused a lump in his throat.

Hicks frowned. One of the drones seemed to be flying erratically. He focused on it. The drone fired its blasters but as the plasma beam shot through the late afternoon sky, it didn't strike the dome; it struck the other drones. Explosions lit the sky as the enemy vessels exploded. As the errant Drone's laser fire blasted its fellows out of the sky, Hicks gaped at the sight. He lowered his binoculars and turned to address the Colonel. He could see the Colonel watching the errant drone as well. "Not sure why it's attacking the others, Colonel Truman, sir, but we're prepared to shoot it down if it turns toward us."

"It must be malfunctioning," he reasoned. The colonel seemed to consider this a moment. "Best to be on the safe side." He turned to Hicks. "Shoot it down."

"Yes, sir, Colonel Truman, sir." Hicks raised his walkie-talkie and relayed the Colonel's command. Once sent, the gunners immediately turned their weapons towards the errant drone.

A moment later, they fired.

* * *

Summer's hand slammed down repeatedly on the big red button before her, focusing all her drone's firepower on the nearest grinder-occupied drones. She blasted them mercilessly, sending them crashing against the city dome, slamming into each other or exploding into the burning sands below. She vented all her frustration on the enemy ships, shooting them down, not just to save her city and her people, but to avenge herself on all of them. Her hands gripped the controls tightly, and as she weaved back and forth between them, she savored every explosion. Some of the drones veered to face her. She struck them down too. It was glorious.

Blaster fire scorched the sky near her drone. The blast that nearly killed her came from the ground where Colonel Truman's forces were defending the city. She was aghast; they were shooting at her! She banked her drone left, dodging another laser blast that nearly killed her. She weaved in and out, moving back and forth through the defensive lines. Blinding light flashed by again, searing the air around her drone. She knew she had to tell them who she was, to get them to stop but she was far too busy dodging enemy fire, to say nothing of all the friendly fire. She growled in frustration. The big red button caught her eye, taunting her with its presence. She knew she had the firepower to take them out and if she didn't they were going to take her down instead. She ignored the instinctive call of the button and did a loop instead.

She wasn't about to shoot back but she wasn't going down in flames either.

Sudden impact proved her wrong. One of the Colonel's blasters tagged her backside. Light blasted her ride, the wave of stifling air filled the cockpit and as choking smoke consumed her, blinding her, she felt her stomach rise into her throat as the drone's nose dipped toward the barren earth. It felt as if the floor gave out beneath her. She was going down hard and fast and wrenched the controls back to prevent its merciless descent.

To her horror, it didn't work and as the barren ground rose up to meet her with terrifying swiftness, Summer Landsdown did something she hadn't done since becoming a Power Ranger: she screamed.

* * *

"We gotta get out there," Scott declared.

Ziggy looked down at Doctor K. Her head was bandaged, and they had laid her gently on the couch, but she was still unconscious. "What about Doctor K?" he asked, gently slipping a pillow underneath her head of jet-black hair. "We can't just leave her like this."

"We have no choice," Scott told him. "My dad's soldiers are holding off Venjix, but they can't hold out forever. We have to get out there." He looked to Flynn and Dillon. "They need us."

"It's all right, Ziggy," Tenaya 7 added. "You can stay here and make sure she's okay." It would be easier if they were separated anyway. She could double back and kill the good doctor and Ranger Green as soon as she broke off from the group.

He seemed to consider leaving her but then thought better of it. "Alright, I'll stay with Doctor K." He looked once more to her unconscious form. "Just to make sure she's all right."

Scott agreed, then led the others. "C'mon, you guys, time to go to work."

She followed him to The Garage and straddled Summer's motorbike. As she started the engine, she felt a human surge of adrenaline. It was almost over. Colonel Truman's forces would soon be overwhelmed, the city would burn to ashes and Venjix's victory would be complete.

She almost wished Ranger Yellow were here to see it.

She so wanted a chance to destroy her in person.

* * *

As she clambered out of the burning wreckage of her drone, Summer squinted against the harsh light of the dying day. She coughed, trying desperately to breathe through the thick haze. Her eyes searched through the black plumes of smoke, and she found that she could see a little bit of the sun-scorched desert. The sounds of motorbikes whirring past her let her know she was still close to the city. She needed to get there, to warn them. She tried to move and was met with a sharp pain in her shoulder.

As she gasped, she grabbed at her arm with her right hand. She was sure something was torn, maybe even dislocated. Testing her right arm on the side of the wrecked ship, she managed to lever herself up and out of the cockpit. Her left shoulder seemed to be healing by itself. She supposed there were some advantages to being trapped in the body of an automaton. As she pushed herself out of the cockpit, she fell onto the hot surface of her ruined drone and managed to pull her legs up out of the burning wreckage. She gasped deep breaths, trying not to choke on the swirling smoke.

Her eyes stung in the dying light of the afternoon sun. She put a hand up to shield her vision.

 _Any landing you can limp away from_ … she told herself. As she slipped down to the ground, her boots crunched on the hardscrabble earth. Motorbikes whirred past. She raised her arm, flagged down a passing grinder. It skidded its motorbike to a stop before her.

She smiled. "Say," she told him, "that's a nice bike."

The grinder looked down at the motorbike and then at her. It cocked its copper-wired head in what seemed like confusion.

She smiled even more.

* * *

Colonel Truman stood unmoving, watching as his forces launched counter attacks against the forces of Venjix. His men would hold. There was no doubt in his mind. He had been a soldier all his life and he knew when men were reliable. They would hold.

They could outlast Venjix, shield or not. Drones exploded in the air, crashed to the ground. Laser fire continued to rain down from above and light the sky from below. The sounds of metal smashing heralded every successful volley. Colonel Truman watched it all with grim satisfaction. Sunlight glinted off the wreckage of fallen drones littering the wastelands surrounding the city's dome. Grinders rode motorbikes between them weaving towards their defensive positions, the noise from their vehicles making them easy to find in the rising dust. As they vaulted over the dunes, blaster fire lit them up, shattering each one and adding to the makeshift junkyard. His forces would hold. His men were the best, each one determined to defend the last human city on Earth. It was simply a matter of time before Doctor K reestablished the shield. Whatever Venjix had planned, it wasn't going to work.

The sound of motorbikes once again broke the monotony of blaster fire. Another attempt to take the city.

At his direction, his men aimed their blaster rifles at the dirt-filled air directly ahead. They had been trying for a long time and he knew the grinders would attack directly again, trying to wear down their defenses.

The buzzing of the motorbike was getting louder. He signaled his men to hold steady and not fire until they caught sight of the enemy. He focused on the cloud of dirt and dust where he knew they would come.

With a roar, a motorbike burst from the top of a hill to their left, sailing directly over their heads. The men all ducked. Even Colonel Truman found himself bending down to avoid being scrapped by the wheels of the maniac-ridden motorbike. A girl's triumphant howl filled the air above them and as the bike slammed down behind them, he couldn't help but notice it wasn't a grinder riding headlong into the city's open gates: It was a dark-haired girl in a purple suit. He barely had time to question why she hadn't fired on them when Corporal Hicks drew his attention back to the road. "Sir, the Grinders," he quavered, pointing out to the wastes, "they're still coming..."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Summer despaired. As she watched the citizens of Corinth flee before her for the third time, she wondered if she would ever get anyone to help her. She resolved to keep trying. She had to find the other Rangers. Her motorbike had run out of fuel and as she wandered the streets, she consistently found herself ducking guard patrols as she searched for someone who would help. It was an impossible task. Everybody was either running from her or from the grinders. She wanted to help them but every time she started to attack the minions, Corinth soldiers arrived and started shooting at both of them. She would often get caught in the crossfire and nearly lost her life a few times. The streets were a no man's land of battles, crowds of civilians and traffic. She didn't know how she would ever make it to The Garage. She had thought this would be the easy part of her journey, that once she arrived in Corinth, she would feel at home again. But the people had never been afraid of her before. She didn't know how to handle it. She felt bad for scaring them but at the same time, she also felt bad for the way she was being treated. Never in her life had she ever felt so rejected, so hated. She wondered how Tenaya 7 could stand it. She scoffed. Tenaya 7 probably relished it. This was getting her nowhere. She had to find the others.

The setting sun blazed the sky with red color, a warning that signaled the end of the last human city on earth. She was running out of time. The files she had downloaded from the palace had projected total victory by nightfall. Much of that hinged on Tenaya 7 sabotaging them at the right moment. If she could find her friends before sundown then she could possibly turn the tide against the enemy.

But as it stood now, she wasn't sure she would be able to convince anyone to listen to her.

As she wandered the city, her arms crossed against the front of Tenaya 7's metallic purple body suit, watching parents pull children away and into nearby buildings, she lamented that she had never felt so alone. She kept her face down and tried not to cry. In this form, she wasn't sure she could cry but she didn't really want to. She hadn't really cried since she had become a Power Ranger. She would hold it together. Her friends needed her.

Just then, the sound of whistling caught her attention, the soft melody of an all-too-familiar tune.

At the sound of A Hunting We Will Go, her despair evaporated into rage. As she spun to face her enemy, she was met with an uncanny sight: Her former face smiling arrogantly at her. Her green eyes stared at her without pity and as the gentle wind blew her golden hair across her face, Tenaya 7 whistled again, concluding her song.

Summer shuddered in the cool breeze at the sight of herself whistling that awful tune. She ground her teeth at the surreal sight of her former-self standing in the street. She was wearing her black jeans and leather ranger jacket, like they belonged on her. It was eerie seeing herself standing six feet away, like some weird dream in which you watch yourself doing things but can't do anything about it.

She was hoping to find the other Rangers first, to warn them somehow.

Apparently, her rival had other plans.

"Well, well, well," her enemy added in her Summer voice, "if it isn't 'Tenaya 7'." Summer watched as her green eyes looked toward the frightened people nearby. "Don't worry," Tenaya 7 reassured them. "I won't let her hurt you."

"You're the only one who has to worry about getting hurt," Summer retorted. Her voice still sounded like Tenaya 7. She realized too late that such talk didn't really help her case. She couldn't help it though. After all she had been through, she felt like strangling her former-self and forcing Tenaya 7 give back her body.

Summer watched as her enemy's hand raised her morpher. "RPM!" Tenaya 7 shouted. "Get in Gear!"

The transformation was stunning. Instantly, her yellow ranger uniform materialized on her, the bright color seemingly brilliant and beautiful. Summer was furious. Tenaya 7 was now a Power Ranger! But that didn't deter the real Ranger Yellow. She was going to take this imposter down, regardless of the circumstances. She felt all her frustration, all her anger, all her indignation at what was done to her boiling up inside and poured it all into one great battle cry. As she charged forward, Ranger Yellow did the same, drawing her Nitro Sword and plunging forward into the attack.

At long last, the two combatants clashed in the street, swinging wildly at one another. Summer was surprised that the rain of blows that landed about her didn't hurt as much as she expected, and as she punched and kicked her former-self, she realized how much stronger she was than a Power Ranger. She felt like she could take them all on at once. The sounds of battle rang loudly, energizing her, making her feel more alert, more alive. Summer wanted more, she wanted to pound this body-thief into the ground and take back her old-self for good.

She also didn't want to cause any permanent damage, but she didn't hold back and as the battle raged on, she fought to take back her city, her home, and her dignity.

Suddenly, Ranger Yellow pulled back and put away her nitro sword. Summer couldn't fathom what her enemy was doing. But then she saw her take up an all-too-familiar stance.

As time seemed to stand still, all she could was watch as yellow chi energy gathered between her enemies gloved hands and focused into a hot, glowing, golden ball. "Energy Blast!" Tenaya 7 shouted, thrusting her hands towards Summer, sending the blindingly bright miniature sun hurtling towards her with alarming speed.

Her eyes widened at the sight of her own special attack being launched at her. "You've gotta be kidding me!"

The blast exploded into her, heat searing her face. She could feel the impact lift her from her feet. Her scream ripped the air. The force of the explosion sent her sprawling with a shout of epic pain. The asphalt slammed into her shoulder taking the very breath from her. Agony wracked every part of her body as she rolled down the street. Her head spun, her vision swam. Everything threatened to go dark. Difficult day, she thought, fighting to remain conscious. Very difficult day.

As she lay there, groaning, every part of her aching, she tried to catch her breath. It was hard. But she knew she had to rise and fight. Her friends were counting on her. She wouldn't let them down. Her black-gloved hands pressing down on the street and she forced herself up on shaky arms. "Is that the best you can do?" she demanded.

As she staggered to her feet, Summer was gratified to see the Yellow Ranger step back a moment.

Summer strode forward, feeling her confidence surge. "You're not a real ranger, are you?" she mocked. She let herself become Tenaya 7, almost losing herself in the role. She resolved to make her enemy's strengths her own. "You wouldn't last one day in basic training." She extended her arm and the copper-colored hand-blaster appeared. She aimed the weapon at her former-self and unleashed a furious blast.

As the laser fire slammed into her, explosions lit the street. This time "Ranger Yellow" went sprawling. Summer grinned wickedly. She desperately didn't want to destroy her old-self, but she would if she had to; she couldn't let her friends be destroyed because she held back.

"Summer," a familiar voice shouted.

She turned in time to see her friends, the Power Rangers, running towards them. Their red, blue and black uniforms had never looked so brilliant to her. They rushed into battle with their nitro blasters drawn. As relief washed over her, she smiled, happily this time, and even laughed aloud at the sight of them.

She was just about to wave to them, when they opened fire.

The blasts from their nitro blasters staggered her. She stayed on her feet, but the pain of every impact made her cry out.

She felt her heart sink as they rushed around Tenaya 7, forming a protective wall. As Blue and Red helped her up, Ranger Black strode forward, pointing at Summer. "You're not gonna hurt her again!" Dillon shouted. He extended his Nitro Blaster into a Nitro Sword and charged. "You're mine!"

Summer swallowed. The pain of his words was worse than the wounds she had suffered. Her arms hung heavy at her sides. She felt broken. She retracted her blaster. She didn't want to fight her friends. But she knew, like everything else she had been through already, that she had no other choice.

As Dillon charged, she ducked and weaved, avoiding the swings of his sword. She used passive techniques, blocking and evading the weapon while resisting the temptations to counter-attack.

His movements were much quicker than the other rangers, thanks in part to his robotic enhancements. He was part machine and it showed in battle. Summer felt somewhat evenly matched with him. Dillon may have been stronger than most, but he was not stronger than her. He fought wildly, which was his way, leaving himself open for many counters. She ignored them all. She wouldn't hurt him. As his weapon got closer and closer to landing a decisive blow, pain and fatigue began to set in. Summer knew she couldn't last much longer.

She had to get through to him, somehow.

The other Rangers called for him to get clear. He didn't seem to hear it. She outmaneuvered him and tossed him aside, just in time to see them aim the Road Blaster at her. The combination of Ranger Red's Street Saber, Ranger Blue's Turbo Cannon, and her own precious Zip Charger united and leveled her way was enough to make her heart sink.

"Engine Cell, activate!" Tenaya 7 shouted, entering her engine cell into the side of the device.

Summer let her heavy arms drop to her sides as she panted. She couldn't fight anymore.

She was done.

This was it.

This was the end.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

"Fire!" they shouted.

The weapon discharged, sending a stream of golden energy straight towards her. Summer stood there, crossing her arms before her face. As the blast slammed into her, she felt the heat engulf her robotic form, the pain and shock coursing through her. She screamed in anger and frustration. Surprisingly, she found herself standing her ground against the surging energy. She was slipping though. She knew she couldn't hold out forever. The heat and pain increased with every passing second, and she felt herself growing weaker and weaker. Finally, the glowing intensity overwhelmed her, casting her down with a shriek.

Sprawling across the asphalt, more painfully this time, took the last of her strength. She couldn't stand. She couldn't speak. She was lost. As Dillon reappeared in her sight, his Nitro Sword raised high in the air, she lowered her head and submitted to what was to come.

Then she remembered what Andrews told her, right before he died.

"Twenty miles straight ahead, Miss Summer. You can make it."

"Not without you," she grieved. As he lay there, struggling to breathe, Summer cried over him, over Andrews, her only faithful friend. "I still have to show you the real me, who I am on the inside, all of that."

"You will, Miss Summer," he assured her, managing a weak smile despite the pain he was obviously in. "I'll be watching," he gasped. "And I'll be waiting..."

Andrews had died giving her a second chance. He never lost faith in her. She had to believe in herself. Her head lifted. She blinked.

At last, she understood what she had to do: She had to show them all who she was on the inside.

And she knew exactly how to do it.

She looked up at the Black Ranger, the sunlight glinting off his nitro sword.

She still couldn't stand.

But she could sing.

So, she sang The Rose.

" _Some say love, it is a river_ ," she began, her voice weak but surprisingly steady,

 _That drowns the tender reed,_

 _Some say love, it is a razor,_

 _That leaves your soul to bleed…_ "

She sang as loudly as she could, while keeping her voice steady. She managed to push herself up onto her knees and poured the words into the air. She bared her soul, let them see who she really was on the inside.

" _When the night has been too lonely,_

 _And the road has been too long,_

 _And you think that love is only,_

 _For the lucky and the strong..._ "

Her voice rang out louder, more clearly for all to hear.

" _Just remember, in the winter,_

 _Far beneath, the bitter snows,_

 _Lies the seed, that with the sun's love..._

 _In the spring… becomes the rose…_ "

She rested on her knees, letting the sudden silence take hold. She gazed up at Ranger Black. He had paused, and she watched as he slowly lowered his Nitro Sword. In the distance, the others watched.

She almost laughed. They stopped. Miraculously, they stopped.

"Summer…?" Dillon asked, his voice uncertain.

Relief flooded through her once again. She was still in pain, exhausted, but elated. It was finally over. From her knees, she watched as Ranger Black restored his nitro sword to a nitro blaster and replaced it into its holster. He pressed a button on his morpher. His helmet disappeared, revealing a face she had feared she would never see again.

He walked towards her, slowly, unarmed. "Summer…"

"Dillon, wait!" Red shouted.

"Aye, mate," Flynn added, "it could be a trick!"

Dillon ignored them. He was so close now. She stayed on her knees, watching him approach. He knelt before her. "Summer?" he asked, his face a mix of concern and confusion. "Summer… is that you?" He reached out for her.

"Dillon…" She fell into his arms. "Oh, Dillon," she panted as he held her tight. "I wanted to tell you so badly…" she whispered against him. The nightmare was over. She was finally home.

She could see over his shoulder the other Rangers lowering the Road Blaster. They all turned to look at Ranger Yellow. She stared back at them from behind her helmet. "What are you looking at?" Her white gloves gestured to Summer. "Don't tell me you're buying any of this."

They backed away from her, dismantling the Road Blaster. "Summer sings that song every day," Scott said. "She drove us crazy with it." He pointed at Ranger Yellow. "I bet you don't even know the next verse."

"Aye," Flynn added, "that weapon that Summer was shot with yesterday… it must have done something."

"It did," Summer told Dillon. She gasped. "I've been trying to get back…"

"She's lying!" Tenaya 7 shouted. "I'm Summer! Me!" Seeing they weren't buying it, she reached for her nitro blaster.

Red and blue pulled theirs first. "Don't even think about it," Scott told her.

Suddenly, she grabbed their wrists and spun them both to the ground. Then she drew her nitro blaster and fired at Summer. She closed her eyes at the blinding flash of light. Dillon rematerialized his black helmet and stood before her. He activated his invincibility shield to protect her. The blue energy shield appeared and absorbed the Nitro blasts for a full five seconds.

Time expended, the shield collapsed.

"Valiant effort, Ranger Black," Yellow sneered. "But that was five seconds. Your time is up."

"So is yours!" he shouted, charging into battle once again, this time against the real Tenaya 7. She extended her Nitro sword as he did, and they clashed in the streets, swinging wildly at each other as the soldiers and civilians ran about the burning city, fighting and fleeing from grinders and drones. Summer felt hands grasp her on her shaking arms. Red and Blue were by her side, helping her to her feet.

"Summer," Flynn asked, "are you all right, lass?"

His Scottish voice was wonderful to hear again. "Yeah," she said in her Tenaya 7 voice. "I'm just not quite myself…"

Scott steadied her on her feet. "Well, don't worry. Doctor K will find a way to get you back to normal." He looked out at the two sword-fighting a short distance away. "Just as soon as Dillon takes care of the imposter."

"Summer," Flynn said, in that wonderful Scottish accent. "Ah, I'm so sorry. We should have known it wasn't you. She didn't sing or anything and, well… we…uh…that is…"

"We're sorry we attacked you, Summer," Scott clarified. "Real sorry."

"You were protecting the city," she reassured them. "I probably would have done the same." She glanced down at herself. "Look, just get me back to normal and all's forgiven."

Once she was steady on her feet, Scott drew his morpher, flipped it open. "Ziggy," he began. "We've, uh, got a bit of a situation here…" he said, as he looked her up and down. "You're not going to believe this one."

Summer was so close she could hear Doctor K through the morpher. "Already ahead of you, Ranger Series Red. I'm fully aware of what has transpired, and I am working on a way to reverse it now."

"That's great, Doc," Scott said. "Glad your back. Is there anything we can do to help?"

"Yes," she responded. "Try not to let Ranger Series Black do too much damage to Ranger Series Yellow's body. I still need it intact to put her back to normal."

That was alarming. The thought of being stuck as Tenaya 7: human infiltration attack bot for the rest of her life horrified her.

"We'll do our best, Doc," Scott assured her. "Over and out." He closed his morpher. "Summer, you gonna be okay?" She nodded. "Right, then let's get to it."

She stood and watched Red and Blue charge into battle with renewed vigor. She knew they would take care not to hurt her old self, but she worried they couldn't defeat her if they held back. She wanted to go into the fight herself, but she knew she had done enough. She had to stay out of it and trust her friends.

They used their fists instead of their weapons and tried to avoid anything too extreme. Unfortunately, Tenaya 7 didn't hold back, shooting them with her Nitro Blaster.

As Flynn steadied himself, he used his special ability: Time Freeze to trap her in place.

A moment later, Tenaya 7 was disarmed. She searched her empty hand for the Nitro Blaster she had been using a moment ago. Flynn laughed. "Looking for this, lass?" He tossed her Nitro Blaster back to Ranger Red.

"All right," he shouted. "Let's finish this!"

"My thoughts exactly," Tenaya 7 declared. Then she took out her serious weapon: The Zip Charger. Slipping onto her forearm, she pulled the cord, unleashing it on them. The little yellow vehicle packed quite a punch, zipping back and forth between them, knocking them all to the ground in a spray of sparks. She scoffed. "And who would have thought that the key to destroying the Power Rangers was another Ranger?"

Summer stepped forward. "There's something you forgot, Tenaya 7." She hoped she sounded more confident than she felt. "When you got our strengths, you also got our weaknesses." She bent down and took Scott's morpher from his belt. She flipped it open. "Are you ready, Doctor K?"

"Ready," she confirmed. "Taking Ranger Series Yellow 'off-line'."

Ranger Yellow's suit surged with electrical shock. Tenaya 7 struggled against it but she couldn't move. "What's-what's happening to me?"

"The Ranger hardware is designed with a built-in shut-off switch," Summer told her. "It's a safety feature. It just took Doctor K sometime to access it." No one was going to just push a button and disable them.

Tenaya 7 growled as she struggled to move. It wasn't going well. She stood locked in place, electrical surges tracing up her arms and legs. Summer relished it. The others were standing by now. They surrounded the imposter. As the electrical shocks ceased, Scott relieved the imposter of her morpher. He pushed a button, de-morphing her helmet, leaving her head exposed but the rest of her trapped. Summer glared at the face she used to own as her enemy strained against her helplessness. "No!"

Summer strode up to her. She stared her old self in the face, looked into her green eyes.

Unceremoniously, she punched her out.

"Uh, maybe that wasn't such a good idea, Summer," Scott said, gesturing to the unconscious imposter.

"Aye," added Flynn, "You're likely to feel that tomorrow, lass."

Summer laughed despite herself. "I certainly hope so!"


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Summer sat up in her bed. She raked her fingers through the tangled golden mass of her hair, letting it all tumble down around her bare shoulders. She yawned and stretched, extending her arms outward and arching her back. She smiled at the sensation. Waking up in her own bed, in her own clothes, in her own skin was a wonderous pleasure. She never even considered how good it could feel just to be herself.

Summer took her time in the shower, letting the warm water cascade across her bare form. After she dressed and combed her hair, she found herself wandering leisurely around her room. She twirled about, rejoicing, before slipping on her leather Ranger jacket. She settled it on her shoulders, savoring the sweet feeling of wearing normal clothes again.

As she looked at her own face in the mirror, she couldn't help but smile. Her green eyes had never seemed so comforting. She had never thought about how lovely she looked anymore, but since she had been restored to her own body, she found herself appreciating her life and her physical presence much more.

It had only been a few days since Doctor K had found the solution for reversing whatever it was Tenaya 7 had done to her, but she already found that the memories of the ordeal were fading like a nightmare in the bright light of morning. Reunited with her friends, Summer had feasted, goring herself on apples, bananas, grain cereals and even half a pizza, having not realized until then how long she'd had to go without food. Everyone had been patient, waiting for her to tell them the story.

Between bites of pizza, Summer regaled them all with the stories of what had transpired: The terror of waking up as someone else, being surrounded by enemies, having to fight her way out of the palace and finding her way back home. Summer made a point to tell her friends how much she had missed them and how she had worried about them. She also finally told them all about Andrews, how he had believed in her and trusted her and how her memories of him had seen her through again. They all wished they could have met him. She wished they could have too.

Summer was delighted when her parents came to visit to make sure she was all right. She had missed them as well and was happy to spend time with them again.

They had since returned to their jobs and their lives with promises to visit again soon.

Making her way down the metal stairs, Summer saw welcoming sights, familiar and comforting: Dillon and Ziggy were playing pool, Flynn was working on his big blue truck and Scott was washing his red racer.

Summer joined the boys at the pool table. They were just finishing up and welcomed her to their game.

"You can sing if you want," Dillon offered, chalking his cue.

"That's all right," she told him. "I know you're tired of that song." Although she didn't say it aloud, she was a little tired of it too.

"Oh, c'mon," Ziggy cajoled. "That song saved your life." He shrugged. "I wouldn't really mind hearing it again."

"Thanks," Summer told him. "But I think I'll choose a new song today."

Dillon racked the balls. "You wanna break?" He gave his half-smile.

As Ziggy stepped back and extended his hand in a mannerly gesture. He handed her the freshly chalked cue stick and she bent down to line up her shot. She hammered the cue ball and it slammed into the others, scattering them across the table.

At the satisfying sound of a few balls clacking home into their pockets she straightened and smiled.

Doctor K approached, making notes on her clipboard. Summer held her breath. The Doctor looked up and smiled. "Ranger Series Yellow." She nodded. "It's good to see you well again." As Doctor K walked towards the Ranger Room, Summer sighed in quiet relief. She didn't want to answer any more questions.

The debriefing had taken forever. The Colonel asked her what seemed like a million questions and that was only half of what Doctor K wanted to know. Exhausted as she had been, she understood how important it was; she was the only one of them who had ever been inside Venjix's secret headquarters. Summer wished she could remember where Venjix's hidden palace was located but she didn't know the way back; she had relied on her drone's onboard computer to find her way back to Corinth and Colonel Truman's men blasted it into scrap. There was nothing left to salvage from the burning wreck.

As she moved around and took more shots across the pool table, to the contentment of the boys, they told her a few things about how Tenaya 7 acted. She wasn't kind or helpful. She didn't sing and she hadn't displayed the talent with the stick the real Summer had. Both admitted that should have been enough to make them realize that something was wrong. They apologized again for not seeing it and she had to ask them to stop saying they were sorry, since she had already forgiven them.

Heartfelt though their apologies were, they were getting somewhat wearying.

She supposed she should just be grateful, but she wanted them to know they were already off the hook.

Summer just was glad that everything in her life was back to normal. She was assured by Doctor K that the way Venjix and Tenaya 7 had used the biofield to steal her away had been sealed and that they wouldn't be doing it to any of them ever again. Summer was all too relieved to hear it since she heard that shortly after restoring her and locking Tenaya 7 away, her enemy had escaped from the detention center where she was being held. There was no sign of her anywhere in the city. Summer didn't expect the soldiers to find her and she figured it would be awhile before they heard from her again.

But she had no doubt they would. Some of the Rangers and soldiers lamented the fact that they didn't destroy Tenaya 7 when they had the chance, but Summer knew that it didn't matter; even if they had destroyed that evil robot, she was only a minion. Venjix was the real threat.

Leaving the boys to start a new game, Summer pulled a bottle of orange juice from the fridge. She twisted the bottle open, listening to the sounds of her friends behind her. Dillon and Ziggy were betting who would win the next match and Flynn and Scott were debating something about their vehicles.

Listening to their seasoned arguments and laughter made her feel so content, so safe. She wasn't worried about what would come next because she knew that together, they could handle anything.

Summer smiled as she turned back to look at The Garage, her home, her friends.

Venjix may not be going anywhere… but neither were the Power Rangers.


End file.
